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Kel'Thuzad
:For information on how to defeat Kel'Thuzad in World of Warcraft, see Kel'Thuzad (tactics). Archlich Kel'Thuzad, the Lich Lord of the Plaguelands, was one of the principle agents of the Lich King, responsible for the spreading the Plague of undeath across Lordaeron. After being slain by Arthas during the events of the Third War, he was reborn as a lich. He aided Arthas in summoning Archimonde the Defiler, commander of the Burning Legion. However, Kel'Thuzad's true loyalty was to the Lich King, and not the Burning Legion. When Arthas left for Northrend during the events of The Frozen Throne, he left Kel'Thuzad as his agent to command the Scourge in Lordaeron. He now commands the Plaguelands from his necropolis floating above Stratholme, Naxxramas. Kel'Thuzad was one of the undead heroes during the Undead campaigns in Warcraft III. In World of Warcraft, he is the final boss in Naxxramas, an end-game raid instance that was introduced in patch 1.11. In World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, Kel'Thuzad can be found alive in the Old Hillsbrad Foothills, in the Escape from Durnholde Keep wing of the Caverns of Time. He is voiced by Michael McConnohie. The Call of the Lich King There were a handful of powerful individuals, scattered across the world, who heard the Lich King's mental summons from Northrend. Most notable of them was the Archmage Kel'Thuzad, of the magical nation of Dalaran. Kel'Thuzad, one of the senior members of the Kirin Tor — Dalaran's ruling council — had been considered a maverick for years due to his insistence on studying the forbidden arts of necromancy. Driven to learn all he could of the magical world and its shadowy wonders, he was frustrated by what he saw as his peers' outmoded and unimaginative precepts. Upon hearing the powerful summons from Northrend, the Archmage bent all of his considerable will to communing with the mysterious voice. Convinced that the Kirin Tor was too squeamish to seize the power and knowledge inherent in the dark arts, he vowed to learn what he could from the immensely powerful Lich King. Forsaking his fortune and prestigious political standing, Kel'Thuzad abandoned the ways of the Kirin Tor and left Dalaran forever. Prodded by the Lich King's persistent voice in his mind, he sold his vast holdings and stored away his fortunes. Travelling alone over many leagues of both land and sea, he finally reached the frozen shores of Northrend. Intent on reaching Icecrown and offering his services to the Lich King, the Archmage passed through the ravaged, war-torn ruins of Azjol-Nerub. Kel'Thuzad saw firsthand the scope and ferocity of Ner'zhul's power. He began to believe that allying himself with the mysterious Lich King would not only be wise, but potentially fruitful. After long months of trekking through the harsh arctic wastelands, Kel'Thuzad finally reached the dark glacier of Icecrown. He boldly approached Ner'zhul's dark citadel and was shocked when the silent undead guardsmen let him pass as though he was expected. Kel'Thuzad descended deep into the cold earth and found his way down to the bottom of the glacier. There, in the endless cavern of ice and shadows, he prostrated himself before the Frozen Throne and offered his soul to the dark lord of the dead. thumb|Kel'Thuzad, reborn as a lich The full version of his flight from Dalaran and encounter in Icecrown, where he meets Anub'arak and realizes, too late, the full plans of the Lich King, is told in the recently published short story, The Road to Damnation. The Lich King was pleased with his latest conscript. He promised Kel'Thuzad immortality and great power in exchange for his loyalty and obedience. Kel'Thuzad, eager for dark knowledge and power, accepted his first great mission: to go into the world of men and found a new religion that would worship the Lich King as a god. To help the Archmage accomplish his mission, Ner'zhul left Kel'Thuzad's humanity intact. The aged, yet still charismatic wizard was charged with using his powers of illusion and persuasion to lull the downtrodden, disenfranchised masses of Lordaeron into a confidence. Once he had their attention, he would offer them a new vision of what society could be — and a new figurehead to call their king... The Cult of the Damned Kel'Thuzad returned to Lordaeron in disguise, and over the span of three years, he used his fortune and intellect to gather a clandestine brotherhood of like-minded men and women. The brotherhood, which he called the Cult of the Damned, promised its acolytes social equality and eternal life on Azeroth in exchange for their service and obedience to Ner'zhul. As the months passed, Kel'Thuzad found many eager volunteers for his new cult amongst the tired, overburdened laborers of Lordaeron. Surprisingly, Kel'Thuzad's goal to pervert the citizens' faith in the Holy Light towards belief in Ner'zhul's dark shadow was easily attained. As the Cult of the Damned grew in size and influence, Kel'Thuzad made sure to keep its workings secret from the authorities of Lordaeron at every turn. With Kel'Thuzad's success in Lordaeron, the Lich King made the final preparations for his assault against human civilization. Placing his plague energies into a number of portable artifacts called Plague Cauldrons, Ner'zhul ordered Kel'Thuzad to transport the cauldrons to Lordaeron where they would be hidden within various cult-controlled villages. The cauldrons, protected by the loyal cultists, would then act as plague generators, sending the plague seeping out across the unsuspecting farmlands and cities of northern Lordaeron. The Lich King's plan worked perfectly. Many of Lordaeron's northern villages were contaminated almost immediately. Just as in Northrend, the citizens who contracted the plague died and arose as the Lich King's willing slaves. The cultists under Kel'Thuzad were eager to die and be raised again in their dark lord's service. They exulted in the prospect of immortality through undeath. As the plague spread, more and more feral zombies arose in the northlands. Kel'Thuzad looked upon the Lich King's growing army and named it the Scourge — for soon, it would march upon the gates of Lordaeron and scour humanity from the face of the world. The Third War Kel'Thuzad, upon the Lich King's instruction, oversaw the infection of the small town of Brill, where he was discovered by Jaina Proudmoore and Prince Arthas. From there, he quickly fled, and they followed him back to Andorhal, where he told Arthas of Mal'ganis in Stratholme. Arthas, in a rage, hunted Kel'Thuzad down and killed him. But they were not finished yet. Kel'Thuzad waited patiently as a ghostly apparition until his protector, Gavinrad the Dire, was slain by a now-corrupted Arthas, and his remains were reclaimed. He appeared only to Arthas, and told him that he was not to trust the Dreadlords, promising to explain all of the Lich King's plans to Arthas once he walked the earth again in Quel'Thalas. Kel'Thuzad watched over Arthas as he made the slow procession to the Sunwell in Silvermoon against the stratagems of Sylvanas Windrunner. Eventually, Arthas ravaged his way through the two Elfgates and finally breached Silvermoon itself. With the help of Tichondrius, Kel'Thuzad was reborn into the terrifying form of a lich. As they traveled to Alterac, Kel'Thuzad explained that the Scourge was merely the harbinger of the Burning Legion, and that he would summon the first of the demons, the Eredar warlock, Archimonde, to the mortal world. After destroying the orcs guarding the Demon Gate, Kel'Thuzad communed with the dark lord, who told him that he must go to Dalaran and steal the Book of Medivh from Dalaran. After Arthas led the attack on Dalaran and killed Antonidas, the book was retrieved, and Kel'Thuzad began the lengthy summoning process, with Arthas defending him from the many attacks of Dalaran and the Kirin Tor. Finally, all was complete, and Archimonde was set loose upon the world. His first act was to promote Tichondrius to leader of the Scourge, rendering Arthas and Kel'Thuzad of little use. However, Kel'Thuzad, confident in the Lich King's grand design, disappeared amidst the chaos of Dalaran's destruction. After the War Kel'Thuzad resurfaced as the Legion raked across the Plaguelands, and in the aftermath of the invasion, he remained in the Capital as one of the Lich King's lieutenants. Arthas had gone to Kalimdor on Ner'zhul's command, and so only Kel'Thuzad and the banshee Sylvanas Windrunner remained in his stead. But they knew that the Legion was defeated long before the Dreadlords who remained in Lordaeron did. Arthas returned in a fury and chased the Dreadlords out of the Capital, and Kel'Thuzad was relieved to see him. With the Legion's generals gone, they turned to the human villages who were escaping to the mountain passes. Kel'Thuzad thought that perhaps they would be a fitting sacrifice to the Lich King. But as they cut a swath through the human forces, Arthas suffered some violent seizures, and Kel'Thuzad considered recalling their forces. But the King forbade it, and they continued on their macabre mission. In the aftermath, Arthas received a vision from Ner'zhul, who told him to return to Northrend. Kel'Thuzad immediately prepared for his departure, but they were abruptly ambushed by the Dreadlords, and separated. The Dreadlords unleashed all their forces against Arthas, but Kel'Thuzad found his own way out of the city. As he fled, Kel'Thuzad surmised that only Sylvanas had the position to arrange for this assassination attempt, and knew that until he reached Arthas, he was in grave danger. Kel'Thuzad came upon Arthas in the clutches of Sylvanas and her wicked banshees. She was about to strike when Kel'Thuzad unleashed his forces against her and her sisters. With the banshees dead, Sylvanas was forced to retreat. Kel'Thuzad escorted Arthas to the shore, where he had prepared a fleet of ships for his departure. Arthas asked Kel'Thuzad, as his most loyal servant and twisted friend, to remain in Lordaeron and ensure that his legacy remain. Kel'Thuzad swore on what was left of his life to carry out that mission at all cost. In the battle that would follow between Sylvanas and the Dreadlords, Kel'Thuzad took his forces into hiding, where he would plot his resurfacing into the new powers of the Plaguelands. He now resides in his necropolis Naxxramas, above Stratholme. The Fall of Naxxramas Kel'Thuzad is the last encounter of the dungeon Naxxramas, implemented in the patch 1.11. He is ultimately defeated by the players, but does not die. As a lich, he may reform using a part of his former self (the part of his "soul") kept in a magic item known as a phylactery. Should the phylactery be destroyed, Kel'Thuzad would be defeated forever. But some things do not happen as they should... The quest "The Fall of Kel'Thuzad" describes how the player, who likely wanted to destroy the phylactery, is manipulated by some mental force to give the phylactery to Father Inigo Montoy in Light's Hope Chapel. Something very unusual is going on here, and the Argent Dawn reports that the phylactery did not reach their hands... Quotes *"Hello again, children. I am Kel'thuzad, and I've come to deliver a warning: leave well enough alone. Your curiosity will be the death of you." *"We have been discovered, my brothers! Flee and continue with the Operations! " (After Jaina and Arthas uncovered his operations in Brill.) *"Trust not the Dreadlords! They are the Lich King's jailors!" (To Arthas, referring to Tichondrius.) *"I have returned as promised! The Lich King has granted me eternal life!" (After using the Sunwell to reincarnate himself.) *"... His knowledge of demons alone is staggering. I suspect he was far more powerful than anyone ever realized." (About Medivh) *"I shall await my eternal reward." Naxxramas Preview Quotes *"Too late, I learned that power does not come without a price. Now, the world shall pay a far greater toll, for I have returned. I am Kel'Thuzad. Your curiosity will be the death of you." Gag Quotes *"The Cult of the Damned...I need to print more brochures." *"I always wanted to start my own religion...so I did!" *"This horned thing on my head is KILLING ME!" *"Fifty thousand gold a year in child care and they call it a CULT?!" *"No!!! A curse upon you, interlopers! The armies of the Lich King will hunt you down. You will not escape your fate..."* After killing his cat Mr. Bigglesworth in Naxxramas See also The Road to Damnation Category:Old Heroes Category:Lore Category:Lore Characters Category:Major Characters Category:Game Characters Category:Liches Category:Scourge Category:Necromancers Category:Historical Necromancers Category:Warcraft III